History of the Office

The current secretary, Corey Stapleton, took office in January 2017 and is the 21st person to hold the office since Montana became a state in 1889. Frank Murray holds the record for the longest term in office: 24 years, from 1957 to 1981. The record for the shortest term goes to Robert Hawkins, who served for not quite two months in 1927.

In 1992, Montanans passed a constitutional initiative (CI 64) establishing limits on how long legislators and elected executive officers can hold office. As a result, beginning with Secretary of State Bob Brown, no one may serve longer than eight consecutive years in the position.​​